Hunters in Suburbia
by constantlydreaming
Summary: Sam, Dean, Diana, and Kara have found the perfect hiding place; Suburbia. After about a year, they've gotten pretty cozy and, dare I say, normal? But, of course, the supernatural will always come back to bite them in the ass. Follow the quartet as they struggle with juggling the new, normal lives they've built and their lives and duties as hunters. (Sequel to Training A Huntress)
1. Hiding in Plain Sight

**As by request, here is a shot at a sequel...**

* * *

As he crept through the dark, Sam gripped a gun in one hand, braced over his other forearms, silver blade clasped tightly. He moved silently through the house, slipping through the rooms like a shadow, alert and ready for anything. The silence blanketing the house did not alay his fears, but instead, made him even more suspicious. When he heard movement coming from the end of the hall, he slowly stalked towards to dining room.

Keeping his breathing quiet, Sam listened hard to try to decipher what he was up against, but could only make out soft footsteps. He pressed his back up against the wall beside the doorway to the dining room, straining to hear any tell tale sign as to whether he should shoot or stab first. He was weighing his options when the scrape and click of metal on metal cut through the air and the threatening glow of a flame could be seen. Sam knew he had to act quickly.

Bursting through the doorway, Sam quickly directed the gun towards the source of the sound while simultaneously raising the hand with the blade, but froze when he found that a knife was pulled on him as well.

Relief washing over them, Sam and Diana lowered their weapons and started to snap.

"Jesus! You scared me half to death!" Diana sighed. "Don't creep around like that!"

"_I _scared _you_?" Sam protested. "You're the one in here with all the lights off, striking up a fire! What are you doing?"

Diana's mild annoyance quickly melted away and her lips stretched into a sweet smile. She spun the wheel of her lighter again and lit the candles positioned so carefully on the table.

As the pale purple and iridescent blue sky began to darken, the stars and moon rose to reach through the windows and entwine their silvery light with the warm glow of the candles. Sam smiled down at the wide spread of his favorite foods, set along the table as a dinner for two.

"What is all this?" he asked.

"I wanted to do something special for you, just as the two of us, before we celebrated your birthday with everyone else tomorrow," Diana confessed, biting the bottom lip of her shy smile.

"You're amazing," he hummed, pulling her into his arms and bending to kiss her lovingly.

"Happy Birthday," she grinned when he pulled away. He thanked her with another long kiss before sitting down across from her. As they ate and talked, he often found himself gazing at her in the soft glow of the candle light, and she would frequently smile dreamily as she watched the flames dance in his beautiful hazel-green eyes. Before the end of the night, they had committed themselves to each others' embrace.

By the next afternoon, their backyard was dotted with various neighbors and co-workers they had come to know and love. The smell of burning coals and cooking meat wafted lazily through the air as Dean manned the grill and talked cars with a couple of the other guys and Kara. The giggles of children rang out as they tried to wrestle and climb each other and, whenever they had the chance, Sam. Diana made her rounds, playing hostess, with Moose, a sweet, if large, Saint Bernard tailing her everywhere.

"Getting cozy over here?" Sam smirked at Dean when he came by to hand him another beer.

"Shut up," he said, rolling his eyes, an amused smile turning up the corners of his lips as he watched Kara laugh with a few co-workers.

"You still haven't asked her out?"

"It's not like that, Sammy," Dean sighed, flipping the burgers.

"But it could be," Sam teased.

"How about I ask Kara out when you ask Diana to marry you?" Dean shot back. Sam just sipped his beer. "Wait. Are you actually thinking about it?"

"Maybe..."

"Dude, do you think you're ready for something like that?" Dean asked, moving the finished burgers onto the serving platter and turning some hot dogs to check them.

"We've been together for a little under two years now," Sam smiled, his eyes following Diana as she twirled and danced with a little girl and boy who lived next door. "I know I love her and I know I can't imagine life without her. Why not make it official?"

"All right, I guess you have my blessing," Dean clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm happy for you, man."

"Thanks."

Gazing around at the lives they'd built about a year ago, Sam and Dean almost laughed.

"Jesus, look at us!" Dean chuckled. "Living the apple pie life! We got jobs, and houses! You got a dog and a girl! We're almost respectable!"

Sam laughed. "Yeah, well, you weren't kidding when you said playing Mr. Jones and Mr. Smith in Normalville would be the last place they'd ever look for us."

"Yeah, but who knew we'd like it so much?" Dean lifted the dogs onto another platter and walked them over to the patio table as Sam came up behind Diana, slipping his arms beneath hers and around her waist. He smiled when she barely missed a beat in her conversation.

"Oh my God," her friend, Betty, laughed. "You two are sickly sweet. And so young! I can hardly believe it! You should be out clubbing in the city somewhere!"

"Sam and I have never really been the clubbing types," Diana smiled, resting her arms atop Sam's and leaning into him slightly. "We're happy here." Moose tried to side himself between both Sam and Diana's legs, demanding to be recognized and given attention.

"Yes, and Moose. Moose makes us happy too," Sam laughed, scratching the pup behind his soft ears. "Baby, I think we're running low on ice. Do we have any more?"

"Yeah, in the garage, I think," Diana said, swinging her leg over Moose's back and excusing herself from her conversation with Betty. Sam followed her to the garage to help, Moose right on their heels, but stopped in his tracks when he glanced at the end of the driveway.

"Diana."

"Yeah?" She lifted her head before freezing as well. "Is that?"

"Yes."

Taking her hand, Sam led Diana to the bottom of the drive way where a very confused Castiel was standing, gazing up at their small house, head cocked to one side, brow furrowed. Moose growled.

"Castiel? What are you doing here? Does this mean they've found us?" Sam asked, snapping for Moose to sit.

"No, not yet," Cas said, then finally turned to meet their eyes. "But I need your help."

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**What do you guys think?**

**Should I continue?**


	2. Can They Resist?

**Sorry for the late update, it's been a busy couple of weeks :)**

**Thanks for your support!**

* * *

After a very awkward attempt to end the party organically, Diana managed to save Sam from his spluttering by weaving such an intricate web of lies that had their guests were so mystified, they feared being thought awkward or incompetent and so simply agreed, made their excuses and left happily, as though it were the plan all along.

As soon as they were all gone, the Winchesters, Diana and Kara all sat down in Sam and Diana's living room with Castiel, feeling suddenly paranoid and unsafe in a house that they had made their own and called their home.

"Cas, what's going on? How did you find us?" Sam asked anxiously, squeezing Diana's hand as she absently stroked her locket with the other.

"It took me a while," he confessed, gazing around with a confused and skeptical expression, as though he couldn't believe that his surroundings were real or natural. "What is this place?"

"It's our house, Cas," Diana said. "Sam and I live here."

He stared at her, brow furrowed, head cocked to the right. "For how long?"

"Well, we've been here for a little less than a year," Sam said. "Dean and Kara share another place just across the street."

"Why? Why do you stay in this place?"

"It's our home, Cas."

"But you have never had one before," Cas noted. The weight of the statement fell heavily on the boys' shoulders, creating an awkward tension in the room. Diana squeezed Sam's hand and gently touched Dean's shoulder.

"They have," she argued softly. "You are only considering geography, but that's not what a home is." Cas opened his mouth to increase the tension with another insensitive observation, but Diana cut him off. "Why are you here, Castiel? What do you want?"

"I have a job for you."

"Cas," Dean sighed, "when you're in hiding, you don't go looking for trouble."

"Well, _you_ might," Kara smirked. Dean rolled his eyes playfully at her.

"We _all_ might," Diana said pointedly, raising a knowing eyebrow at Kara.

"Either way, there are other hunters out there," Sam said. "They can help you. We can't. Sorry."

"Sam, please," Castiel said, standing from his awkward perch on the edge of an armchair. "Other hunters have tried, but have been unable to help. Please. People are dying."

"No, Castiel," Sam replied firmly, standing as well. "You know how delicate our situation is and how crucial it is for us to remain in hiding. People always die. We won't do it."

Cas turned to Dean and Kara. "You are very good hunters," he said to them. "Make him help."

"We can't do that, Castiel," Kara said, shaking her head. "He's right. Our situation is very difficult."

At her words, Diana rose and left the room, disappearing into the kitchen. The others watched her go as Cas continued to argue his point. Sam left them to follow her.

"You okay?" he asked. She kept her back to him and didn't answer. "What's wrong?" She remained silent. "Look, I know that Cas might be scaring you a bit, but don't worry. I won't let him take our life from us. We've worked really hard to build this. I won't let it go-"

"That's not it," Diana sighed. She turned to face him. "I want to go."

"Go where?"

"I want to help."

Sam sighed. "Diana, I know that you care, and that's wonderful. It's one of the many things I love about you. But-"

"No, Sam," Diana stopped him. "If Cas says that other hunters have been unable to help, then I want to help. It's clearly very important."

"Diana, sometimes Cas says things-"

"Sam, we can't just let people keep dying!" she protested. "Not when we can help them!"

"The deaths don't stop, Diana, you know that."

"But there can be less death! Less fear! Less tragedy and loss!"

Sam released a heavy sigh, sliding his hands into his pockets. He fingered the ring box as he spoke softly. "Why must you care so much?" he whispered under his breath. Then, louder, he said, "I can't risk losing you. I won't do it. And neither will you."

"It's always a risk no matter what we do, Sam, you know that. Don't be selfish," she scolded.

"I said no."

Frustrated and conflicted, Diana turned away from him and headed back out into the living room. As soon as she appeared, Cas continued to make his argument, but she ignored him. Grabbing her keys and throwing on a jacket, she swung open the door.

"Diana what are you-" Kara started.

"I'm gonna take the dog out," Diana mumbled, patting her thigh for Moose to follow her out. Sam's frame appeared in the kitchen doorway and they locked eyes for a moment before she turned her back on them and shut the door behind her.

Until she returned, the others remained silent, busying themselves with cleaning up after the party. Sam kept an eye on Diana as she walked around the perimeter of the house with Moose. Within five or ten minutes, they were back inside.

"There are four of us," she reasoned aloud. "We fight together or not at all. I think we should discuss this and put it to a vote." Her eyes met Sam's. "If I'm outvoted, I won't go."

They shared a tense look before he exhaled, folding his arms over his chest. "Fine. We'll put it to a vote. All those in favor of telling Cas to piss off?" His hand shot up with Kara's.

"Dean, you can't be serious," Kara scoffed when he didn't raise his hand. "You said so yourself, when you're in hiding, you can't go looking for trouble!"

"Well, maybe we should just hear him out," Dean replied. Kara rolled her eyes.

"You two are so eager to go running off to get found or hurt, aren't you?"

"That's not what it's about, Kara," Diana sighed.

"Oh, really? Then tell me, sweetie, what it's about, because I can't seem to understand why the hell you would want to ditch this pretty life you've finally got, that you've wanted for so long, for the words of a crooked angel who's tried to kill you before!"

"I said I was sorry," Cas butt in earnestly. Kara shot him a cold glare.

"Sorry or not, you tried to kill my best friend," she spat. "Twice."

"This isn't about you or me or Cas," Diana said, holding her hands up to calm her friend. "This is about innocent people getting hurt and us not doing anything about it."

"So? We're being hunted, Diana!" Kara protested, raising her voice in frustration.

"We can't be selfish!"

"Sometimes you _have_ to be selfish, Diana!"

"Being selfish is what gets people killed!" Diana exploded. "Selfishness killed our parents, Kara! My parents died because of _my_ selfishness! I refuse to let others suffer for it!" Sam started calmly towards her, but she raised her arms, warding him off. "No, stop! I don't want sympathy or hugs, I just want to help!" she said, feeling hot tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "What is so wrong with that!"

"The desire isn't wrong," Sam told her gently, "the reason behind it is. Diana, you're the one that taught us that hunting is about helping people because we care about them, not because we want revenge."

"But I don't-"

"You do," he sighed, reaching out to stroke her cheek. "On yourself." Diana's gaze fell to the floor and she exhaled, letting a couple of tears escape her eyes and slide down her cheeks. "You've come so far, love. Don't let yourself go back to that place." Taking a deep breath, she wrapped her fingers around the silver locket resting just above her breasts and finally allowed Sam to enclose her in his protective arms, dropping a kiss into her hair.

"I'm sorry, Castiel," Sam said, holding Diana's head to his chest. "The answer is no."

"Fine," the angel said after a long pause. "I'll be within calling distance if you change your mind." And with a heavy flap of his invisible wings, he disappeared.

"D, I'm sorry," Kara sighed. "I know that you just want to help people. But I just want to help _you_."

"I know," Diana nodded. She removed herself from Sam's embraced and pulled Kara into her own. "I appreciate it."

"We'll let you get some rest." Kara kissed her cheek, took Dean's hand and led him out.

"I'm sorry all this had to happen," Diana sighed, walking into Sam's arms again. "I just wanted you to have a good birthday."

"It was a great birthday," he assured her, kissing her lips gently. "Thank you."

"Ugh, stop being so wonderful," she pouted, trying to lighten the mood once more. He smiled and kissed her again before taking her hand and leading her up to bed.

.

.

.

In the dull light of a crescent moon, Dean left the garage, wiping his hands on a rag and tossing it back inside before closing the door behind him. He started into the small house when he saw something move across the street. Thinking it might be the missing cat of a neighboring girl, he strolled toward it casually. From the shadow cast by the fence separating two yards, emerged Diana in jeans, carrying a small duffle bag. She froze when she saw him.

"O-oh, Dean," she gasped. "I-I was just, uh-"

"You didn't think I'd let you go without me, did you?" he asked, folding his arms and cocking an eyebrow. Relief washed over her face and she silently crossed to his side.

"Thanks."

"Hey, who you gonna call?"

She grinned. "Win-chesters," she sang under her breath.

Despite it's age and lack of use in the past year, the black '67 Impala was still in mint condition, thanks to it's adoring and attentive owner, and so didn't call nearly as much attention to itself as it may have, had it been neglected. No one heard them leave, save for a couple of squirrels.

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**Review please?**


	3. The Phantom of the Opera

**So sorry it took forever :( Bit of writers' block**

**This one's cheesy, I know, but I hope you'll like it anyway...**

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The alarm blared in his ears and a wide, wet tongue lapped at his cheek. Sam groaned and pushed Moose away, then flung his arm out to the bedside table, hitting the snooze button and rolling over to nuzzle his face into Diana's hair. But when he turned on his side and reached for her, all he found were empty sheets.

His eyes cracked open slightly and his brow furrowed. He rolled out of bed and rose to his feet, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he trudged into the kitchen for coffee. The creases in his brow deepened when he didn't find Diana there either. He shuffled into the bathroom, hoping to find her in the shower, but found that, too, empty.

"Diana?" he called out. No reply came. "Diana?" Still nothing.

His blood pressure increased as each room he peered into turned out empty. "Diana!"

Then, out of the corner of his eye, tucked into the frame of the bathroom mirror, he saw the note. He snatched it from the mirror and scanned her handwriting quickly.

"Son of a bitch."

.

.

"So, where is this job?" Diana asked, sipping her iced coffee.

"Somewhere in New York," Dean told her through a mouthful of donut. "Hudson, I think."

"Like near the opera house?"

Dean shrugged. "Dunno. We should be there within a couple hours."

"What are we looking for, exactly?"

"Most believe it to be a ghost," came a voice from behind them, making them jump and the car swerve dangerously.

"Cas!" Dean yelled, yanking the steering wheel to straighten them again. "You can't just do that! You're gonna kill us!"

"I apologize," he replied blankly, "it wasn't my intention to do so." The two in the front released a heavy sigh of relief. "Anyway, most believe what you are after to be a ghost, however, I'm not so sure that's what's going on. You see, the opera house in Hudson, New York is very popular."

"Obviously," Diana sighed. "It's home to many extremely famous and talented performers."

"That is irrelevant," Cas said, furrowing his brow, "I don't understand why you would mention that. Regardless, the hunters who have approached the issue have found that everyone in the opera is extremely contradictory and are often very unhelpful. In addition, the managers are very suspicious and several accidents have occurred, injuring and even killing stage hands and performers alike."

"Oh my God," Diana smirked. "You can't be serious, right now."

Cas stared at her, confused. "I am quite serious, actually. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Are we actually on our way to hunt the Phantom of the Opera? Really?"

"What's that?" Dean and Cas asked in unison. Diana's jaw dropped.

"You poor, uncultured brutes!" she gasped. "You don't know Phantom of the Opera? How! How do you not know!"

"Is this a ghost you have hunted before?" Castiel asked, tilting his head to the side.

"No!" Diana sighed, shaking her head sadly. "It's a novel turned musical! It's beautiful and tragic and tugs on your heart strings! It makes you think about how much the cruelty of humanity can effect a person and their perception of themselves, others, and the world as a whole, and how one simple act of kindness can touch someone so deeply that they have a complete change of heart!"

Dean and Cas exchanged looks in the rearview mirror.

"Are you mentally stable enough to go on this job?" Cas asked, his eyebrows drawn together in concern.

"Seriously," Dean agreed. "You need to calm yourself, _Becky_."

"No, you don't understand! I grew up on that musical! It has shaped me so much and has so intensely affected my life, you don't even know!"

"What's next, D?" Dean rolled his eyes. "Fanfiction?"

"Shut up," Diana laughed. "Oh my God, this is so awesome!"

Castiel and Dean looked at her, then at each other in the mirror and just shook their heads, completely lost. Cas disappeared.

A couple of hours later, the duo were standing at the entrance of the Opera House in Hudson. Diana couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.

"This is so amazing!"

"Okay, I'm glad you like the venue," Dean said, "but can we get down to business please?" He led her around the building and down a back alley until they found the loading doors. Casting quick glances over their shoulders, they crept inside and down into the cold, damp, seemingly deserted depths of the opera house.

.

.

"What do you mean they went?" Kara demanded.

"I mean they snuck off in the night and went on that hunt that Cas wanted us for!" Sam growled, running his fingers through his hair. "I can't believe she did this."

Kara sighed, folding her arms beneath her breasts. "I can. She's so driven to help that she forgets about herself. She's always been like that."

"Dean's like that, too," Sam sighed. He rubbed his hands over his face and groaned. "Why must we fall for those who attract trouble?"

"Oh, please," Kara laughed. "If they hadn't gone, we eventually would've broken and you know it."

"Yes, but it's as though they go looking for trouble."

"Don't worry, you'll repay her for that heart attack one day," Kara sighed, grabbing her jacket. "C'mon, let's go back up our family."

.

.

"Remind me again why we aren't just posing as FBI?" Dean grumbled as he trailed Diana through the dark mazes of the opera house basement.

"Because we left in the middle of the night without knowing where we were going," Diana whispered, extending her left hand to feel along the wall as she pointed a gun loaded with rock salt into the darkness ahead with her right. "If we find a white mask, I'll cry."

"What? Why?"

Diana rolled her eyes. "Never mind."

Suddenly, from somewhere above, a shrill scream erupted. The two hunters broke into a run, heading for the slim shaft of light that pierced the suffocatingly thick veil of darkness that surrounded them. Charging up a rickety staircase into the light, they exploded into a storage room, then tearing through the next hallway, came through a right wing onto the stage, joining a thickening crowd of alarmed stage hands, musicians, and chorus members.

"It was an accident!" a man was hollering, his voice jumping an octave in his panic. "Please! Everyone remain calm! It was only an accident!"

"That's what they always say," Diana whispered to Dean. He grunted and the weaved their way through the crowd to get a closer look.

Sprawled across the stage, leg twisted unnaturally beneath her, lay a wounded singer, face twisted in pain, moaning as she cradled her hand to her chest.

"She just dropped from the flies," a young girl beside Diana whispered to her, wide eyed. "Can you believe it? Her solo was coming up and she was no where to be found, then all of a sudden she drops from the sky, like she was hanged but without rope! She's never going to be able to do the show now! And it's in two days' time!"

Paramedics burst into the house with a gurney, ran up onto the stage, loaded the sobbing singer on the stretcher, and carried her away again in a flash. The shock and silent alarm hanging over the crowd suddenly dissolved and everyone began to buzz.

"What will we do?" the young girl beside Diana sighed, tears coming to her eyes.

"I'll do it!" a woman with cropped blonde hair offered, stepping forward immediately. "I'll sing the solo!"

"Oh, please!" a redhead scoffed. "You belong in the choir! _I_ have a solo voice!"

"These people are insane," Dean whispered to Diana. "All they care about is the solo! Not even the girl!" She offered him a small smile and nodded.

"Pretty much."

"That's disgusting."

"That's show business."

"Silence!" a masculine voice rang out as a large man stepped into the space where the soloist had fallen. Mouths immediately closed and all eyes turned to the man. He was stout and quite round, with a ruddy face and bright blue eyes which ordinary sparkled with kindness, but were currently staring down harshly on the sopranos fighting over the newly opened soloist position.

"How dare you!" he growled. "Fighting over the solo after the injury of the deserving singer, and one of my dearest friends! You're all fired! Get out!" The women opened their mouths to protest, then bowed their heads and exited the stage.

The man turned on Diana. "You!" he shouted at her. "Are you a soprano?"

Diana opened her mouth but was too startled for sound to come. Dean stepped up beside her. "Yes, she is!" She looked at him, panicked.

The red-faced man snapped his fingers at the pianist to his left. "The soprano solo!" he barked. "Quickly!"

The pianist jumped and immediately bowed his his head, flipped through his music and began to play.

"Sing!" the man barked at Diana.

"But I-"

"Sing!"

Diana, startled and unsure of what to do, closed her eyes and, in her mind, went back to her lessons as a child and found that she could still recall the piece being played for her, just as beautiful and sweet as she had heard it before her she had sung for the last time, before her parents died and she refused to allow herself the bliss she'd found each time her voice mingled with the music, ringing out in the most earnest expression of her deepest desires and fears. Now, after nearly ten years of abstaining from it, in front of professionals who would undoubtedly find her unworthy of their very presence, Diana opened her mouth once more to sing.

"_Pie Jesu, domine_  
_Donna eis Requiem_  
_Donna eis Requiem..._"

.

.

"Cas, where did they go?" Kara demanded.

"If I tell you, you'll drag them back without allowing them to finish the job," he replied calmly. "I don't think-"

"I don't care what you think!" Kara cut him off. "I've been trying for the past hour to be nice and ask politely, but, at this point, I'm just about ready to castrate you!"

"Kara," Sam said gently, wrapping an arm around her shoulders in a side hug. He looked up at Cas with pleading eyes.

"Castiel, we won't stop them," he promised. "They're probably nearly finished, anyway. But we love them and we're worried. We just want to know where they are. To know that they're safe, so that we can help them. Please, Castiel."

After a very long pause, Cas finally sighed, his shoulders drooping, and raised his first and middle fingers on each hand. "All right. I'll take you to them."

"No, wait! Cas we really just-" But before Sam could finish his sentence, he and Kara had been zapped thousands of miles away.

"Where the hell are we?" Kara asked, but Castiel was gone. Sam sighed.

"Dammit, Cas."

"Shh!" Kara pressed her finger against his lips to silence him as she stared at the polished wooden door, behind which she could hear voices.

"I'm going to rip Loyd's head off!" a female voice growled. "We finally get rid of that damned soloist and some new bitch shows up and steals the opportunity away!"

"Well you shouldn't have jumped for the solo so quickly!" another female scolded. "Humans need to process their emotions first. You need to remember to pretend to be considerate."

"Well emotions suck!" the first scoffed. "No wonder humans are so weak!"

"Weak, but necessary," the second replied. "Money, flesh, powers, those mean nothing, nowadays. But human souls? _Those_ have value."

"But we're running a debt at this point. An entire opera house of demons and we can't collect more than ten souls a week! It's pathetic!" Sam and Kara stared wide eyed at each other, but dared not speak, move, nor even breathe for fear of revealing themselves.

"Be patient. It will all pay off in two days on opening night," the first purred. "Until then, we just have to pray on the fears of the few good souls left. Theater people are very superstitious. Let's keep up presences, they're convinced the place is haunted."

"Fine. But what about that new one?"

"She's nothing special, just another starry eyed young singer looking to rise to fame. You go down to confirm our plans with the other. I'll deal with the little Christine."

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**Review, please?**


	4. Angel of Music

**I know it's been a long time and I'm sorry, but it's a long one for you...**

* * *

"Are you insane! Why the hell would you do that!" Diana yelled at Dean when they were alone in the dressing room she'd been given.

"Because Cas said that these people were contradictory and secretive!" Dean replied, grabbing the silk robe off the hook beside the door and tossing it over the room divider that she was changing behind. "Now we're on the inside!"

"Dean, I haven't sung for nearly ten years! I don't know if I can do this!" She came out from behind the screen and sat at the vanity using the cloth and bowl of cool water there to dab at her forehead. Her skin was hot and she felt lightheaded.

"Diana, everything's gonna be fine," Dean assured her. "We just have to figure out what the Phantom thing is and what it's doing and how to stop it. Just focus on the job."

Taking a deep breath, Diana nodded. "Okay. Um, we should start looking into the history of the-" She was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Yes?"

The polished oak swung aside with a creak and a tall, pale man in a dark, wide brimmed hat that cast a shadow, hiding his eyes, stepped into the room.

"Bravi, bravi," he said in a low voice. "That was lovely."

"Thank you," Diana whispered, staring up at him in shock.

"She's great, isn't she?" Dean butt in, putting a protective hand on Diana's shoulder. "Well, thanks for stopping by."

"Pardon the intrusion, but it is time to rehearse," the silky voice cooed from beneath the wide brimmed hat.

"Of course," Diana nodded and rose from her seat to follow the man. Dean snatched her arm.

"Uh, D, I don't think you should-"

"Don't worry about me," she told him, removing his hand from her arm. "I can take care of myself. You go do the thing, okay?" Dean watched them suspiciously as she took the man's arm and he led her out of the room.

"Sure," he said to no one as he watched them go. "The thing."

.

.

"What? What is it?" the man growled up at them. "What do you want?"

"Excuse me, sir," Sam nodded respectfully, "are you the man who runs this theater?"

"Yes," Lloyd snapped, "and I'm very busy!"

"Pardon the intrusion," Kara smiled, "but we were just looking for our partners. They should have come by to see you? About something... unusual, perhaps?"

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" the red-faced man growled.

"Perhaps, Mr. Lloyd, they are referring to Donna's accident," came the low, velvety voice of a woman with long blonde hair. She stood from her easy chair beside the fire and glided to Lloyd's side.

"Yes, of course," Sam smiled politely at her. "Donna's accident. How is she?"

"She's dead."

Sam and Kara hesitated. It had been a long time since they had dealt with such people and conversations.

"We're very sorry for your loss," Kara stammered.

"_You're_ sorry? _I'm_ sorry!" Lloyd threw his hands up in the air, retreating into his office once more. Sam and Kara followed him in, closing the door behind them. They each kept a cautious eye on the blonde lurking behind them. "Donna was my star! She was worshipped by everyone! Audience members, other performers, even the stage hands! And no one yet knows she's gone! What am I going to do?"

"Miss Christine will prove just as enchanting, I'm sure," the blonde cooed, drifting over to lay a graceful hand on Lloyd's back.

"Perhaps," he sighed. "She does show much potential, but she's no _Prima Donna_."

"No one shall ever replace Donna," the blonde agreed. "But, with the help of the Angel, perhaps Miss Christine will prove just as wonderful, in her own way. She was chosen by Him. We should respect that and trust that he is doing what is best for the theater."

"The Angel?" Sam asked. The blonde smiled up at him.

"Yes, we are blessed."

"Bah!" Lloyd threw his hands up again. "I wish you all would stop with this Angel business!"

"It's true, and you know it," the blonde arched her eyebrows over icy blue eyes, folding her arms beneath her breasts. "Everyone has witnessed. Even you."

"I have work to do!" Lloyd grumbled, storming out of the office, his face reddening further, mustache twitching.

"Forgive Mr. Lloyd," the blonde smiled cooly at them. "He does not like to express his suspicions. He thinks it will drive our people away."

"Who is this Angel?" Kara asked.

"The Angel of Music."

Kara's eyebrows raised and her jaw dropped slightly. "The what?"

"The Angel of Music," she repeated with that frozen smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "He has graced this theater with his presence. He blesses our performers and enchants our audiences. He is strict, but very generous. When Donna fell, he chose Christine, a girl we had never seen before, to take her place. He is likely training her as we speak so that she may perform in the show tomorrow evening and dazzle the audience, maintaining our reputation." Sam and Kara stared at her, somewhat skeptically.

"Right," Sam finally said, forcing a smile. "May we speak to this Angel?"

The blonde's face suddenly darkened and she glared at them. "Of course not! He is never to be disturbed!"

"Of course," Sam backed off, bowing his head slightly. "I apologize."

The woman regained her composure and the icy smile returned to her face once more. "Not a problem at all," she assured him. "Miss Christine and the Angel will be very busy, but perhaps Christine's gentleman friend may be of help to you. He is likely in her dressing room, as gentlemen friends tend to be." She guided them out of the office and down the hall, giving them further instructions. "I have business to attend to, but I'm sure we will see each other again very soon."

She left Sam and Kara alone in the dimly lit hallway, quite suspicious and very concerned.

"I don't like this whole Angel thing," Sam said, staring down the hall even after the woman had disappeared.

"What I don't like is that they hadn't seemed to know of Diana or Dean at all," Kara added, glancing the other way. "Where the hell are they and what are they doing?"

"I haven't any idea," Sam said, turning to start down the hall once more, following the woman's directions. "But I'm sure as hell going to find out."

.

.

"Once more, from the top."

The piano sang beneath the long, elegant pale hands, filling Diana with a warm sensation that started in the pit of her stomach and swelled throughout her entire body until she felt she was about to be lifted into the air. When she opened her mouth, her voice was sweet and clear. She sang in such a way she never thought herself capable. The music was liberating and the deliverance empowering to the point where she felt she could fly.

As the music and her voice retreated to their corporeal homes, the air falling into silence once more, Diana felt exhausted but accomplished and dreamy. She smiled and bowed her head modestly when the silence was broken by gentle applause and a hypnotic voice.

"Wonderful," he smiled, standing from the elegant grand piano and coming to her side. "Practicing in the mirror helps, does it not?"

"It does," she smiled at the reflection of his hat, the shadow still covering his eyes. The pale hands with the nimble came to rest on her shoulders.

"He would be very proud of you," he whispered. She furrowed her brow.

"Who would?"

"Your father." Realization reached Diana's eyes and her gaze began to mist with memories. "Now, now," cooed the voice, the cool hands gently wiping her tears away. "You are a good, lovely child with devastating womanly beauty and a voice such as that of an Angel. What is there to cry about?"

"Nothing," Diana sighed, wiping her own cheeks and regaining her compusure. She smiled shyly at the mirror. Slowly, the man behind her returned the smile.

"Well if it isn't Beauty and the Beast?" he murmured.

"Oh no," she laughed lightly. "I'm sure you're very handsome. I could say it looking into your eyes, if you took that hat off."

The smile remained, but the hat shook slowly in reply. The hands traveled from her shoulders down her arms. "Come," he said, seizing her hands. "We must find you a gown for tomorrow night."

.

.

"_One_ soul a year goes to him," she growled. "_One_! He has taken Donna and, by this time tomorrow, he will have that other girl, too! I told you! We must keep him in line or he will abuse us!"

"Calm yourself, Vivian!" snapped a deep, masculine voice. "You are here to look pretty, bat your lashes, and expose a bit of skin! Not to express your opinions on how I run this place! I have been very generous and patient with you, but I will no longer! You are not top dog, here! Get over it!"

"But he'll tip off Lloyd!" Vivian protested.

"Lloyd knows, you idiot!" the man snapped. "He's made a deal! The Hounds would have come for him already if he had even thought of speaking a word of it to anyone! Leave business to the professionals and go sell tickets!"

"Fine."

The doorknob turned and Dean scrambled back behind the men's restroom door. He waited until the soft thudding of heels on thick carpet faded away before poking his head out into the hall again.

"Christ," he groaned. "Where are you, Diana?"

Making his way quietly further down the hall, he found himself once more in the dressing room wing. He disappeared behind the door to Diana's and was about to return to his waiting laptop, when he heard a quiet creak from behind the dressing screen. Reaching behind him to pull a gun from his waistband, Dean reached out and yanked the screen only to find himself nose to nose with two other guns.

"Sam?" The guns lowered. "What the hell?"

"Where's Diana?" he demanded.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know!" Sam's nostrils flared and his jaw locked. Dean raised his hands in surrender.

"I'm not her babysitter, man, she's a big girl!"

"Dean!"

"What!"

"Both of you, shut up!" Kara shouted, standing between them. "Wherever Diana is, yelling at each other isn't going to help find her!" She turned to Dean. "You. Why are you in here? What do you know?"

"Opera house run by demons."

"Whoa, what?" Sam and Kara stared at him confused.

Dean sighed. "Okay, the place is run by demons. Most of the people in this theater are possessed. Lloyd is not, he's caught in a crossroads deal, though I don't know who he is or what his deal is. The shows are designed so that more human bodies can be possessed, then they harvest the souls, for what, I don't know. There's something else here that usually takes one soul a year but he has already taken his one for this year and seems to be ready for another. Unfortunately, the new soul he's into is Diana's."

"What did you do," Sam growled, glaring at his older brother.

"Everybody calm down!" Kara snapped, shoving him back a step. "Diana's gonna be fine! Here's what we know; Donna's dead but no one knows yet. Christine is replacing her in the show. Some creepy blonde chick is helping Lloyd run the place, and the theater is 'blessed by the Angel of Music' who has supposedly 'chosen Christine' to continue their 'enchanting and dazzling reputation.' I can only assume Diana is supposed to be this Christine?"

"That's what people have been calling her, yeah," Dean nodded.

Sam took a breath, collecting his thoughts. "Okay so blonde chick and others are demons blackmailing Lloyd and collecting human souls. Angel is making this all possible at the price of one soul a year, but has decided he wants Diana. Diana's missing, we're stuck in a theater full of demons and tomorrow night the house is gonna be packed with smiling souls ready to be harvested. Have I missed anything?"

"Yeah," Dean butt in. "That girl has got one powerful set of pipes."

"Hasn't she?" Kara grinned, proud of her childhood friend.

"Can we please focus?" Sam groaned, putting a hand to his forehead. "We need to find Diana."

Soft voices approached the door and the three hunters inside grew quiet, listening hard, but failed to pick up the conversation outside. The door creaked open and Diana stepped in, eyes dreamy, arms cradling a large box.

"Sam?" her brow furrowed and the dreamy clouds in her eyes disappeared. "What are you doing here?"

"A note?" he replied, angrily. "You left a note? That's all I get?"

"Sam, please," Diana sighed, setting the box down on the couch.

"Diana, you told me you wouldn't come! But you did! You lied to me!"

"I'm sorry!" she said, looking up into his eyes. "I did lie and I'm sorry! I had every intention of staying, I truly did, but I just couldn't live with myself if I let people die when I could've done something to stop it!"

Sam exhaled, closing his eyes and pulling her close. "I was so worried," he whispered into her hair.

"I'm fine," Diana promised, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him gently. "I'm sorry for lying and sneaking out and worrying you."

"I forgive you." He kissed her gently and hugged her once more before releasing the tense muscles in his arms. To his relief, she did not move out of his embrace, but only turned to face the others.

"What did you find out?" she asked.

"We're in trouble," Dean sighed.

.

.

"I don't know about this," Diana said, trembling as she felt the zipper on the back of the gown closing. "What if it doesn't work?"

"It will work," Sam assured her, dropping a kiss on her bare shoulder and smiling at her in the mirror. "You know, only you could massacre demons in an evening gown." They shared a nervous laugh before he folded her in his arms, holding her tightly. "I love you."

"I love you."

There was a knock at the door and when it opened, Mr. Lloyd and the blonde woman were smiling at them.

"Are you ready, dear?" Lloyd asked cheerfully. Diana nodded.

"I will show you to your place in the wings," the blonde said.

"And I'll show you your reserved seat," Lloyd grinned up at Sam.

"Thank you, sir," he smiled, giving Diana's hand a gentle squeeze before letting her go and following the manager out.

Lloyd led Sam down a few long hallways and up a flight of stairs before opening a door for him. Sam nodded his thanks and passed through the doorway, pushing the curtains aside to take his seat in an opera box. Instead, he found himself in a storage space where the extra music stands and boxes of scores were kept. Turning on his heel, the door was slammed in his face and he began to bang on it with his fists, yelling to be let out.

Meanwhile, after the doors had closed and the audience was inside, Kara and Dean were circling the entire theater with a thick ring of salt and lining any windowsills and doorways they could find. They then stationed themselves at the back of the theater to assist the flood of people that would be rushing out soon. They looked around but couldn't spot Sam and were about to go search for him, but the concert had begun.

As the music progressed, the audience became more and more still and silent. Soon, silvery blue light began to glow faintly among them and, not too long after, began to rise from the very bodies in the audience. At such a sight, Kara and Dean would have done everything in their power to help those poor people and stop the concert, but they had grown still and their souls were also drifting up from their bodies and into the cursed air.

With the Dean and Kara immobilized and Sam locked in a closet, the fate of every soul in the theater rested on Diana's shoulders.

She entered the stage and took her place among the demonic musicians. After a deep breath and a nod to the conductor, the piano began and she took a leap of faith. With the same accompaniment, in the same tune, Diana began to sing.

_Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus  
__omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio  
__infernalis adversarii, omnis legio,  
__omnis congregatio et secta diabolica._

At the sound, the musicians and singers of the choir, along with every demon in the theater, all dropped their instruments and glared at her with their black eyes. But before any one of them could rush at her, they fell to the floor, writhing in pain. The silvery blue haze above the audience drifted slowly down back to the bodies and thick, angry black clouds of smoke rushed out of the bodies of the possessed, swirling into a terrible cloud of demonic energy that filled the entire opera house, but still, Diana sang.

_Ergo draco maledicte_  
_et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te._  
_cessa decipere humanas creaturas,_  
_eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare._

The demonic cloud began to swirl into a tornado, whipping at the hair and clothes of the stunned audience, sucking any light out of the huge room, twisting and churning, growing larger and angrier by the second until it all began to drain down into the floor, leaving the carpet of the house blackened to nearly ashes.

The souls of all the audience members returned to their bodies, reanimating each person, including Dean and Kara. However, when they came to, ever poor man and woman in that theater bolted for the doors, screaming in horror and disbelief. The bodies of the possessed lay strewn across the theater, leaving Kara, Dean, and Diana the last ones standing.

At the exorcism of the demons, the door to the closet swung open and Sam burst out, charging for the stage. He found an exhausted Diana surrounded by nearly one hundred bodies and his brother and Kara in the empty audience.

"It worked," he said, breathlessly.

"Indeed it did," agreed a silky voice that seemed to come from the very walls surrounding them. A tall man in a dark suit and wide brimmed hat appeared from the shadows, gliding to Diana's side. "Come, child, and rest." With a wave of his hand, Diana fainted against his chest. The man scooped her up into his arms and began to carry her off.

"Stop!" Sam screamed, hurdling over the bodies littering the stage. "You can't take her!"

The man turned again to face Sam, and, though his eyes were hidden in the shadow of his hat, they seemed to burn into him, into his very soul.

"Thank you," he said, "for ridding my opera of those retched demons. Now I may create my music in peace. You may go."

"Wait!" Sam cried when the man began to turn away again. "You can't take her! I won't let you!"

"And what makes you think you can stop me?" the man asked, tilting his head slightly.

"I don't know that I can," Sam answered. "But I'll die trying."

"Why?"

"Because I love her."

"I see." The man gazed down at the sleeping Diana in his arms, stroked her cheek gently. "Very well," he sighed. "You may have her. _If_ you can answer me this." A terrible yellow glow suddenly appeared in the shadow of the hat, where the man's eyes should be. "What is the name of the Angel of Music?"

"Lucifer."

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	5. Disturbance of the Peace

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* * *

"Clear the area!"

The ground shook and the building came crashing down, making their ears ring, even with the headphones.

"Man, I love this project!" Dean yelled over the roaring. "Woo!"

Sam laughed and removed his headphones and checked his watch.

"It's lunch," he told Dean, taking off his protective glasses and handing them over.

"You going somewhere?"

"I told Diana I'd meet her today," he smiled. Dean cocked an eyebrow.

"Are you gonna do it?"

"Maybe. We'll see."

Dean punched him in the shoulder. "Go get her, man."

.

.

"So he just took care of everything?" Kara asked. "Just like that?"

"Yeah," Diana smiled, balancing the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she typed. "Just like that."

"Oh, man," Kara laughed. "You better hold on to that boy or someone's gonna steal him. Someone like me."

Diana laughed. "Sure, okay."

"Really, sweetie! He's perfect! I mean, what man just takes care of everything one day for no reason? Cooking, cleaning, dog, everything?"

"Maybe a man who is up to something," Diana laughed, then smiled sympathetically at the two boys that walked in with bloody tissues pressed to their faces.

"You think?" Kara giggled.

"I don't know, maybe. I've gotta go, Kara, I've got some bloody noses. I'll call you back later."

"Sure thing. Go save the world one kid at a time."

Diana smiled and hung up the phone, then turned to the two teens. "All right, what have we got here?" She stood to examine their faces. "Yeah, you've got a black eye, Tony but you split Jack's lip and you've both accomplished to get some nice shots to the jaw. You'll have some real shiners to show off tomorrow."

The boys grinned and sat down to let her clean them up.

"So, was this staged to impress a girl?" Diana asked, dabbing at Jack's lip. He winced. "Oh, don't be a baby. Come on, now. So, was it for a girl or did you just piss each other off?"

"Kinda both, I guess," they smiled. "Plus, you know, we'd rather hang with the nurse than go to algebra."

"Well that's a sweet attempt," Diana smirked, handing them each ice bags, "but I'm afraid you'll still be going to algebra." She bent over her desk to log their visit into the computer, but looked up again when she heard someone clear their throat.

Sam was standing in the doorway, arms folded, eyebrows raised and the two teenage boys were blushing, eyes glued to the floor. She smiled.

"Hi there."

"Hi."

"Boys," she said, looking over her shoulder. "You can go back to class now." They nodded and shuffled out, avoiding Sam's eyes.

"Do I have to compete with teenagers now?" he asked, an amused smile playing on his face.

"Certainly not," Diana laughed. "Ready for lunch?"

"Yes, but you have another patient." Sam stepped aside to reveal a little girl with big green eyes and a crazy curly red mane.

"Hi, Jessy," Diana smiled. "What's up?"

"I loss my toof!" the little one giggled, proudly showing the gaping hole in her grin. Diana laughed.

"I see that!" She opened a drawer in her desk, pulled out a plastic necklace with a little tooth box on it and helped the girl put the tooth safely into it. "There you go."

"Ssankss, Misss McKnight!" Jessy giggled and ran off to class again.

Diana smiled as she went, then bit her lip as she took in the man standing her office. His T shirt clung to his sculpted arms and chest and his work jeans hung from his hips perfectly. Sam looked back at her from watching the little girl go and smiled, resting his hands on his hips, just above his tool belt.

"What?"

"Nothing," Diana smirked, grabbing her jacket and. "I'm just pretty sure I've had this dream before."

"Oh, I see," Sam grinned mischievously, then chased after her.

After having an intimate lunch by themselves in a quiet cafe, Sam started walking Diana back to the school, passing through the park, holding her hand. He was extremely conscious of the little black box in his jacket pocket and it became increasingly harder to hold his tongue. Finally, he stopped them as they were passing the fountain.

"Diana, I need to say something," he said, taking both of her hands.

"Okay, is everything all right?"

He smiled nervously and nodded. "Yeah, yeah it is." He took a deep breath. "We've been together for quite a while now, nearly two years. And we've been living together for about half that time. In the past two years, I've fallen deeply, hopelessly in love with you and I really can't imagine living without you. Diana, I-"

"There you are."

The couple looked up to see Cas standing in the fountain. He frowned down at the water soaking him to the knees, then climbed out of the fountain.

"Cas," Sam glared, "we're kind of in the middle of something."

"Yes, you are," he agreed, glancing at Diana. "I have another case for you. It involves-"

Diana's watch beeped and she glanced at it. "Oh, I'm late!" She looked up apologetically at Sam. "I've gotta go."

"But, wait, I-" Sam stuttered. Diana cut him off with a kiss and a sorry smile.

"You can't leave," Castiel insisted.

"But I am," Diana shrugged, then to Sam: "Thank you for lunch. I'll see you at home. I love you." She kissed him once more and then ran off.

"But-" Sam groaned, covering his face with his hands. "Dammit, Cas!"

"Have I flown into something?" Castiel asked.

"Yes."

"Oh." Castiel turned to watch Diana's shirking form as she left, then returned his focus to Sam. "Anyway, there's a town, quite nearby, and-"

"Castiel, I have to get back to work," Sam said, walking away.

"But I have a job for you! That is more important than your pretend job!"

"It's not pretend, Cas! It's a real job that takes real time and pays me real money to pay for my real rent!"

Castiel stared after him, confused, then rolled his eyes and disappeared.

.

.

"He just appeared out of no where and cut me off!" Sam yelled, taking a sledgehammer to one of the last few walls that remained standing.

"He appeared right next to me while I was cutting one of the beams!" Dean grumbled, smashing the nearest wall. "I almost hacked my damn hand off!"

"He can't just pop in whenever he wants and expect us to drop everything to do whatever the hell he wants!"

"We're not Cas's freaking Angels!"

"We have lives! Jobs! I'm trying to get married!"

"We've sacrificed our entire lives for this crap! We've saved the world multiple times! It's someone else's turn, dammit!"

After demolishing the rest of the building, the brothers threw their tools into the back of Dean's truck, climbed in and started toward home. As they rode, they both continued to grumble and growl, angry with Castiel for being so inconsiderate and selfish. They slammed the doors of the truck as they got out and stormed across the street and into the kitchen of Sam's house. They each grabbed a beer and took a sip before continuing to shout.

"He told us to go in hiding, we did," Dean snapped. "We have lives now!"

"It's too dangerous for us to hunt again!" Sam chimed in. "There's a bounty on our heads! We're hiding for a reason! And after lives of sorrow and pain and fighting just to lose those we love, it's finally over! We've finally found happiness! He can't ask, let alone demand that we give that up! We won't do it!"

"Oh dear," Kara sighed as she walked in, arms full of groceries. "What are we bitching about now?"

"We saw Castiel today," Diana said, following her in with more bags. "You know how that upsets them."

"Dear God," Kara groaned. "What does he want now?"

"He has another case for us," Dean grumbled, folding his arms and setting his jaw.

"Which we are _not_ going on," Sam added, shooting Diana a look. She raised her hands in surrender.

"I wasn't planning on listening to a word he said, to be honest," she promised before continuing to unpack the groceries.

"Last month was different," Dean said.

"How?" Kara scoffed.

"Well it was a soul trading business," he replied.

"But you didn't know that when you went there," Kara said, taking his beer from his hand, sipping it, then returning it. He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Point is, we're not going this time."

"No we're not," Sam agreed. "No matter what he says, we're staying out of it."

"Yes, we all agree," Diana chimed in. "No one is going anywhere for any hunt. Now will you help me with the groceries?"

"Yeah," Sam said, setting his beer down to help her. "Sorry."

"It's okay," she assured him. "Just don't stress yourself out about this. You said so yourself, it doesn't matter what he says. We aren't getting involved."

Sam remained silent, but nodded. She stretched up on her tiptoes to kiss him gently, making his anger melt away and the furrows on his brow become smooth again. He smiled down at her.

"You're amazing."

"Why, thank you." Diana looked back up at him. "Why am I amazing?"

"You just are."

"Okay," she shrugged, smiling.

"Will you two stop being so adorable?" Kara whined. "You especially!" She pointed at Sam.

"What have I done?"

"You've given me unrealistic expectations when it comes to men, that's what you've done!"

Sam smiled an apology, before glancing at Dean and raising an eyebrow. Dean pretended to not be paying attention, which only made Sam chuckle.

"I can't really help it," he shrugged.

Kara made a face. "Ugh, that's sickeningly sweet and I hate you for it, but I love it, too."

"Hey," Diana pointed at her, "hands off. I was here first."

"I'm a catch, sweetie," Kara grinned. "I can't help how men react to me."

"Whatever," Diana laughed. "You guys staying for dinner?"

"I have to go make dip and salsa for the whole pot luck thing at Jason's tomorrow," Kara grinned. "I'm so excited to see the kiddos."

"Me too," Diana's face split into an ear to ear smile. "I miss them so much."

"Well, I'm gonna stay," Dean shrugged, reaching down to scratch a happy Moose behind his ears. "I go wherever there's food." Moose barked in agreement.

.

.

The next afternoon, Sam socialized politely with Diana's childhood friends and their other acquaintances, but was distant for the majority of the time. Spending most of his time sitting or standing pensively, his deep thought etching lines on his brow. He fumbled with the ring box in his pocket nervously. He thought about asking her in front of everyone, but quickly decided against it. They'd both be embarrassed.

Excusing himself from the crowd, Sam wandered inside in search of the bathroom. He followed someone's directions down the hall but, as the door was closed, stood against the wall to wait. When a good five or ten minutes had passed, he knocked at the door. There was no answer. He knocked again, louder. Still, no answer came. Sam knocked one final time, and when he was only greet with silence, he opened the door.

On the floor of the bathroom, Jason's roommate lie dead, eyes glazed over, chest open and gory, heart missing.

"Shit."

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	6. My Girlfriend's A Bitch

**School. That's my only excuse.**

**BUT SEASON 9 PREMIERED SO THAT'S FABULOUS!**

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* * *

"Son of a bitch!" The of glass hitting the floor satisfied her, but made the others jump.

"Come on." Dean grabbed her arm and towed her outside, kicking and screaming.

"No! Stop! I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch!" Kara took a mighty swing, landing a hard right hook on Dean's jaw. He groaned as his head snapped to the right, then grit his teeth and grabbed her arms roughly, pinned her to the side of the house.

"You need to calm down," he barked. Kara struggled and fought him until she broke down, pressing her face to Dean's shoulder and dissolving into tears.

"He did this," she sobbed. "He did this so we'd listen. Son of a bitch."

"Hey, easy," Dean soothed, holding her tightly. "Take some deep breaths, all right? Everything is going to be fine. We'll call Cas down. We'll give him a good beating for Jason. We will avenge that guy, I swear it."

Kara clung to him tightly, sniffling as he stroked her back and whispered promises. She raised her face to his, kissing him softly, gratefully, before pulling back wide eyed.

"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered, bowing her head and releasing him.

"It's okay," Dean shook his head, eyes turned down. "Why don't we go back inside and see how it's going?"

Kara nodded shyly and followed him back in, wiping her cheeks, eyes glued to her shoes.

"Sorry, D," she whispered to Diana who was on the floor, cleaning up the glass.

"No worries," she smiled gently. "Why don't you go check on Jason?" Kara nodded and headed for the living room, passing Sam as he came in.

"Hey, you all right?" he asked. Diana nodded.

"I'll be okay, I'm just sad for Jason, that's all." She started to sweep up the last of the glass, accidentally sending a shard flying into the palm of her hand. "Ow! Dammit!"

"Here, let me get that." Sam bent down to sweep up the glass, throwing it into the garbage before turning to Diana. "Let me see." He took her hand gently, pinched the shard between his fingers and pulled it out quickly, making her wince. "Sorry." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small First Aid kit, disinfecting the cut and wrapping her hand in some gauze. He kissed it gently when he was finished. "All better."

"Thanks," she smiled weakly, then sighed, resting her head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"If I hadn't gone on that stupid job a month ago, maybe Cas wouldn't have asked us again. Maybe he wouldn't have forced us into this by killing that man."

"Hey, this is not your fault or anyone's fault," Sam assured her, kissing her forehead. "Castiel couldn't do this. He's not exactly well liked by demons and monsters. They wouldn't cooperate."

"I know but-"

"Diana," Sam cut her off, "let's just focus on catching this thing and helping Jason, okay? Your friend needs you right now. Forget about Cas. Do this for Jason."

Diana nodded and took his hand, walking into the next room and into another case.

.

.

"So... Let me think... Ate the heart so... Wendigo?" Kara guessed. "Is that right?"

"No, Wendigos eat as much flesh as possible," Diana said, snapping some latex gloves on. "Werewolves are the ones that go for the heart, I believe."

"Impressive differentiation," Sam said. "Especially after so long."

"I learned from the best." Diana closed the man's eyes before poking about the chest wound.

"That's disgusting." Kara made a face.

"Yes, it is," Diana sighed. "I don't understand. The sun only went down a few hours ago."

"Sam must've found the body just after the attack," Dean murmured, looking through the guy's wallet. He pulled out a picture and showed it to Kara. "Who's that?"

"Oh, that's Gina," she smiled. "She's- she _was_ Carl's girlfriend."

"Carl?"

"The guy on the floor."

"Ah." Dean pursed his lips, staring at the picture. Kara bit her lip as she watched him think, then blushed when she caught Sam's eye. She cleared her throat.

"So, if there wasn't a commotion, then the wolf must have been here the whole time," she continued, avoiding Sam's gaze.

Diana sighed, shaking her head. "It's still hard to get used to this whole 'my neighbor's a werewolf, my best friend's a vampire, my mailman's a goblin' thing."

"Goblins?" Dean cocked an eyebrow skeptically. Diana raised her eyes to meet his.

"What? After all this time, you don't believe that there might be things out there you don't know about yet?"

Dean shrugged. "I suppose." He returned the wallet. "So, let's have Jason call the cops, we'll duck out and go find the girlfriend and talk to her?"

The others nodded in agreement and Kara started to pull the blanket over the body, but Diana stopped her.

"Wait a minute." She squinted, then slipped her hand deep into the chest wound and came up with something pinched between her bloody gloved fingers.

"What the hell is that?" Kara asked, peering at it.

"It's a tooth."

"How...?"

Diana shrugged. "I have no idea, but at least we know we're looking for someone missing a tooth. That ought to cut out a few suspects, right?"

"Unless it's a six year old," Dean grunted. Diana didn't say anything, merely wrapped the tooth in a tissue, pocketed it, then pulled off her gloves. Kara pulled the blanket up to cover Carl's face, then turned away, the reality of the loss sinking in once more. Diana sighed and bowed her head as Sam pulled her close.

"All right," Dean exhaled, straightening. "Let's ditch the cops and start hunting for this son of a bitch."

"Can I be the one to kill him?" Kara asked, her eyes growing cold. Dean put a firm hand on her shoulder and led her out.

.

.

"This can't be happening," Dean muttered darkly to himself. "Oh, baby, I am so sorry. I can't believe this is happening. I'm so sorry."

Dean made a face at the hot breath heavily panting in his ear. His fingers tightened around the wheel as his muscles tensed and his nose wrinkled.

"Oh, get over yourself," Diana sighed, "it's just a dog."

"Who's a good boy?" Sam grinned, rubbing Moose's furry sides. "Who's a good boy stinking up Dean's car?"

"I hate you," Dean growled. Moose gave him a sloppy kiss and the couple in the back laughed. Kara shifted uncomfortably in the passenger's seat, disturbed by their laughter after such a grisly sight.

Then again, she had definitely seen worse. The cozy suburban life must've been really getting to her.

"You don't worry about what that mean old man in the front seat says," Diana giggled, hugging Moose's neck. "You're just a big sweetheart, aren't you Moose?" Moose licked her cheek, shuffled his huge feet a bit, and flopped onto his side atop his owners' laps. They grinned and gave him a good belly rub.

"I still can't believe you let her name him Moose," Kara grumbled, glancing back at Sam.

"I did not let her!" Sam laughed. "She came home with a puppy and said, 'His name's Moose! Isn't he sweet?' She just decided that she wanted a dog and knew that I couldn't resist a furry face and a sweet smile. She abuses my weakness for those eyes of hers."

"I did nothing of the sort!" Diana grinned. "It was all Moose's charm." The Saint Bernard barked deeply, as though in agreement, and sat up to coat Sam's face in slobber.

"Yeah, he's a real prince," Dean sighed, pulling into the parking lot of the girlfriend's apartment building. "Now let's go see if Charming back there can sniff out a real bitch."

* * *

**Has Sam decided to back down from the proposal?**

**What's with Kara?**

**Let me know your thoughts...**


End file.
